


Three Minutes

by Rainbowfootsteps



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, M/M, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 11:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4786355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbowfootsteps/pseuds/Rainbowfootsteps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three minutes is all it takes to change your world forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Three minutes. That’s all it takes to boil an egg, to sing ‘Accidents Will Happen’, to walk to the post office. Three minutes. That’s all it takes to bring a world crashing down.

 

Tino didn’t like cities. They were loud and you had to be crammed next to people like sardines in a can. But every day he had to walk through the city to get to work. It certainly wasn’t the highlight of his day, but at least he liked his job as a newspaper editor. Sure, it was boring most of the time, but who wouldn’t want to sneak sexual innuendos into the less noticed articles? Alright, he’d only done that once, but it was hilarious. He’d sneakily made a firewood advertisement into an advertisement for... a different type of wood. He should do it again. 

 

He was musing on what article he should insert the aforementioned innuendo as he was walking along the crowded street, crushed between a man in a suit and an old lady muttering something about the Rockefeller building. Maybe he could sneak it into the horoscopes. ‘Gemini: one day this week your attention will be aroused by an exciting offer. Think long and hard about it.’ Too subtle? His train of thought was broken by a buzzing in his back pocket. He pulled out his small nokia phone and smiled slightly. It was Berwald.   
'What would you say about Iceland this holidays?' Tino smiled.   
'We could visit Emil!' He sent back, depositing his phone back in his pocket. He liked Iceland. Who would take care of Hana when they were on holiday? Maybe Mathias and Lukas would. They’d liked his little newspaper stint. Well, Mathias had. He’d laughed so hard he cried. Lukas had just rolled his eyes and smiled a little. The old lady walking beside him mumbled ‘Ormond beach, Florida’ and farted. How much longer would he be stuck in here?

 

“I don’t know, I think the margin should be a little bigger.” Tino was very tempted to mutter back a snarky comeback, but managed to keep a smile on his face. Arthur the editor-in-chief was…. a perfectionist.  
“Alright, I’ll change it before I go home.” Tino said cheerfully, walking back to his desk. It was quiet. The only sound was the door closing as Arthur left. Almost everyone had gone home, but he had to fix this margin. What fun. He was about to start fiddling with the computer in front of him when his nokia sprung to life, beeping and vibrating.   
“Berwald..” He breathed, pressing the talk button.  
“Ber?” He asked, phone held to his ear by his shoulder as he started to edit the newspaper page.  
“Tino..” Berwald sounded quiet… and panicked?  
“Ber, are you alright?” Tino asked with a tinge of worry, saving and closing the file as quickly as he could.  
“Tino, you need to get home. There’s a robber in the living room. I think he has a gun. Call the police-” The phone cut to static.   
“Oh my god.” Tino breathed. He stood still for a moment. God, he had to call the police. With fumbling fingers he jabbed in the three numbers, racing down the stairs.  
“Police! I need the police!” He gasped into the phone.  
“A robbery….. I…”

 

Three Minutes...

 

Tino forced himself to stop fidgeting as he sat in the back of the taxi. The smell of leather and the grumble of the engine attacked him, putting him on edge. Everything was fine. Berwald was probably overreacting. Like that time he was sure Lukas had melanoma but it was just a slight sunburn. He smiled, remembering the warm summer day at the beach. His memory was interrupted by a sharp beeping. He had a text. It was from Berwald.  
'Everything’s going to be fine. I love you.' He sighed with relief.  
'I love you too.' He sent back.

 

Two minutes...

 

A minute or so later they turned onto Tino’s street.  
“Mister, I can’t go any further.” The taxi driver said as the taxi screeched to a halt.  
“What’s the problem?” Tino asked, craning his neck to see. Oh, the road was blocked by people and police cars.   
“Okay, thank you.” He said, paying the taxi driver and clambering out of the car. He weaved between people and policemen, trying to get to his house. A buff policeman with slicked-back blond hair blocked his way.  
“Sir, I can’t let you get any closer.” The man told him with a whisper of a German accent.  
“That’s my house, my husband’s in there!” Tino pleaded. The policeman hesitated.  
“Stay here.” He ordered, and walked off with another policeman talking in a hushed voice. What was going on? Berwald had said everything was fine. Oooh, maybe it was a wanted criminal they were catching! So where was Berwald?  
“Mister vah-nah-moen, please come with us.” The policeman was back, and ushering him towards a police caravan. As he walked with them he saw an ambulance pull into his driveway. Berwald must have really beat up that burglar! 

 

One minute…

 

“Mr. Vya-nah-min, please take a seat.” The policeman talking to him was young and spoke in an american accent that Tino couldn’t place. His jacket said that he was Alfred Jones in neat little writing. Tino obediently sat down on the little seat that was provided, bolted to the floor and facing a table. Alfred sat down on the chair opposite.  
“I’m afraid it’s my duty to inform you that there has been.. a death at your household.” Alfred told him, looking nervous. Berwald killed the robber? Why would he….  
“Berwald Oxenstierna, your husband…. has passed away.” Wait. What?  
“I don’t understand…” Tino stammered. Panic started to rise in his throat. No, no. There had to be a mistake.   
“No, he… He said everything was fine….. I don’t….” His throat started to constrict.  
“I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you. I’ll give you some time alone.” Alfred quietly left the caravan. 

 

Three minutes. All it takes to destroy a world.

 

Oh god. This was real, wasn’t it? He wasn’t dreaming. But Berwald couldn’t be dead. Berwald was everything to him. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. He cried. He cried for what had been and what could have been until there wasn’t anything left, until he was numb and empty and nothing really mattered anymore because did anything matter if Berwald wasn’t there? He stumbled out of the caravan, bleak and empty. Without Berwald… Nothing mattered.


	2. Police Report

Berwald Oxenstierna.   
Cause of death = Shock and blood loss caused by bullet to main artery.   
Forensic scientists approximate that it took Mr. Oxenstierna twenty seconds to die after the bullet was fired.

Phone found nearby, screen cracked.   
Screen showed a text from Tino Väinämöinen.   
Text was ‘I love you too’.


End file.
